Study on comprehension and practicability of a new meal-planning tool for patients with diabetes in Vietnam

Abstract

Background: Due to the dramatic increase of diabetes mellitus in Vietnamese population for the past few years, a new dietary instrument for management of blood glucose based on the concept of GL has been developed, called “Glycemic Load counting and Meal planning”. Objective: In the present study, three aspects of the newly developed method were assessed through the view of doctors and nutritionists, namely the comprehension, practicability and design and illustration. Design: Sixteen participants, including doctors and nutritionists, were requested to read through the guide book “Glycemic Load couting and Meal planning” and then answer the questionnaires. The research was conducted within three weeks. Result: Of sixteen participants, thirteen replies were returned (Response rate = 80%). In general, respondents were satisfied with the book with the average score of 3.85 (SD = 0.18) for comprehension, 3.50 (SD = 0.48) for practicability and 3.85 (SD = 0.34) for design and illustration. Between two occupations, there were significant differences in responses (Mann-Whitney’s U Test: W = 72, Z = -1.99, p = 0.04 and r = 0.47), particularly in the calculation of daily energy goal, the ability to build up diet based on the book and the choice of language. Conclusion: Overall, the guide book “Glycemic Load Counting and Meal Planning” is well prepared and considered a useful dietary instrument. However, due to certain limitations in content and presentation, the concept is not yet suitable for widely application in population for the time being. From the angle of our experts in this field, several improvements and further researches should be made before this method can be published.